Pottermore has recently released details about MACUSA headquarters, which was located in New York City’s Woolworth building when Newt Scamander arrived in 1926. In the middle of this space, there are slightly-larger-than-life bronze statues, each commemorating an individual whose life was lost during the infamous Salem Witch Trials.

Which made me think of Wendelin the Weird, the witch who used a Flame-Freezing Charm to render the flames harmless when they tried to burn her at the stake 47 times? In the same vein, why didn’t her American counterparts use a spell to counter the effects of “death by hanging”?

I've wondered a lot about this discrepancy. I suppose there are ways for even a muggle to disarm a witch or wizard- not everyone can do wandless magic and if a person were caught off guard being dragged off for trial as a witch they might not be able to prepare by casting a spell on themselves in advance or whatever they'd need to do. Still, considering the fact that even small children produce protective wandless magic in extreme circumstances, you'd think the same would occur in this case? Even if they didn't die they'd be exiled from the community which would be hard enough but I'd like to know more about why some magical individuals were able to escape muggle (or no-maj) attacks like this and others were not.